Review by Steve Desroches
The Broads’ Way starring Ginger Minj and Gidget Galore is one of the best drag shows to hit Provincetown in decades. It’s an impressive theatrical presentation that, from beginning to end, is seamless, never missing a beat. And the chemistry between the two Floridian drag queens is akin to watching Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The show is so funny it actually requires two doses of dramatic relief to cleanse the palate before more hilarity ensues. In short, The Broads’ Way is excellent and a must-see show of summer 2023.
Ginger Minj is no stranger to Provincetown, known of course for her appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, but also more intimately since she made her debut here in 2021. How the “Ru Girls” handle Provincetown varies wildly. Some rely on the show’s logo on their posters and perform a rather generic routine of catch phrases and spilling the tea. But others, like Minj, recognize both the opportunity and challenge that a summer season in Provincetown provides.
Ever since the founding of the Provincetown Players here in 1915 the town has embraced theater, and vacillates between preferring and at times demanding much of the shows on the stages of Provincetown utilize the devices of the theater. And that goes for drag, too. The most successful queens in Provincetown know this and focus on presenting a drag show with a strong theatrical narrative, rather than a hodgepodge of comedic moments, sight gags, and stock jokes. But The Broads’ Way is exactly the kind of show that fulfills a fully realized vision of what drag can be, and while Ginger has television fame and thus is better known, the heavy lifting is equally distributed between her and her co-star Gidget Galore, who is an absolute delight and every bit the talent that is Ginger. They make a marvelous pairing and it’s a joy to watch their generosity towards each other on stage.
The substance of The Broads’ Way, which plays like a much funnier drag version of Forbidden Broadway, is a fast-paced romp down the Great White Way as Ginger and Gidget look for their big break, assuming that there must be a big-time producer in the audience at least once this summer in Provincetown. The sheer number of Broadway shows lampooned over the course of the show is mind blowing with hilarious send ups of everything from The Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, Sunset Boulevard and more in this all-live-singing show that showcases the powerhouse voices Ginger and Gidget each have, with Ginger’s performance of “Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy a knock-it-out-of-the-park standout. The Broads’ Way is pure entertainment. Do not miss it.
The Broads’ Way with Ginger Minj and Gidget Galore is at the Art House, 214 Commercial St., Wednesday through Saturday now through September 2 at 9:30 p.m. Tickets ($50/$60/$75) are available at the box office and online at ptownarthouse.com. For more information call 508.487.9222.
